BEG 



tr.jniil, being m>!^:li tiileenied, both {or the beauty of tlie 

 ftoivcrsi, and tlie (ingularity of thi leaves. Wlare a baik.- 

 Aove is '.vantiiij;;, they will do very wvU over the flue ot the 

 diT ftove. Mavtyn'a Miller's Diet. 



BEGRAS, in Gco^r,7>)hy, a town of AQutic Turkey, in 

 Syria, at the foot of the Black mountain, between Alex- 

 andretta and Antioch. 



BEG UK, AcHiLLKs William, in Biography, born in 

 the diftricl of Orleans, was admitted doclor in medicine by 

 the univcrfity of Paris the ^Oth of September 1 760. He 

 is kno.vn pnncipally by his tranllatioiis into French of Dr. 

 \V'hytt'sTreatife on Nervous Affcdlions; Dr. Monroe's Ob- 

 fervations on the Difeafei of the Army ; Baron Stork's Ef- 

 fays on the virtues of hemlock, the thorn-apple, henbane, and 

 other poifonous vegetables; and Baron Van Swieten's account 

 of the ufe of the cwrofivc fnblimate in curing the venereal diU 

 eafe. Hisoriijiiial coinpol'itions are "LeConfcrvateurde la 

 Sante," et " Etreniics falutaires," both publilhed in i2mo. in 

 I "6^; the idea of which feems to have been borrowed from 

 Tiifol's "Avis an Peuple fur fa Sante," of which he publifhed 

 an editi(ni at Paris, 1762, in 2 vols. izmo. Eloy. DiA. Hill. 



BEGUINS, in EcrLfiaftical Hiftory, 'A'cre, as well as the 

 Beghards, a kind of half-monks, called Tertiaries, who at- 

 tached themfclves to the genuine followers of St. Francis. 

 In Italy they were denominated " Bi/.ochi," and " Bocafo- 

 ti ;" in France, " Beguins ," and in Germany, " Beghards," 

 or "Beguards," which lall was the denomination by which 

 thev were commonly known in almoll all places. It we ex- 

 cept their fordid habit, and certain obfervances and maxims 

 which they followed in conftquence of theinjunflions of the 

 famous faint now mentioned, they lived after the manner of 

 other men, and were therefore confidered in no other light 

 than as feculars and laymen. Sec Beghards, and Tkr- 



riARIES. 



We mud not confound, fays Moflieim, thefe Beguins and 

 BeTnines, who derived their origin from an auftere branch 

 of the Francifcan order, with the German and Belgic Be- 

 guines, who crept out of their obfcurity in the 13th century, 

 and multiplied prodigioudy in a very fliort fpace of time. 

 Their origin was of an earlier date than this century ; but 

 they now acquired a name, and made a iioife in the world. 

 It appears from authentic and unexceptionable records, that, 

 fo early as the i ith and 12th centuries, there had been fe- 

 veral focieties of Beguines cllablinied in Holland and Flan- 

 ders. However, the only convent of Beguines that cxilled 

 before the 13th century, was that ot Vilvorden, in Brabant, 

 where they were fettled, as appears by public ads, in the 

 years 1065, 1129, and 1151. Their primitive ellablinimcnt 

 ■was undoubtedly the refult of virtuous difpoiitions and up- 

 right intentions. A certain number of pious women, both vir- 

 gins and widows, in order to maintain their integrity, and prc- 

 ferve their principles from the contagion of a vicious and cor- 

 rupt age, formed themfclves into focieties, each of which had 

 a fixed place of refidence, and was under the infpefliou and 

 government of a female head. Here they divided their 

 time between excrcifes of devotion, and works of honell in- 

 dullry, referving to themfclves the liberty of entering into 

 the Hate of matrimony, as alfo of quitting the convent, 

 whenever they thought proper. And as all thufe among 

 the female fex, who make extraordinary proftfTions of piety 

 and devotion, were diilinguhhed by the title of Beguines, 

 i. e. perfons who were uncommonly " afiiduous in prayer," 

 as the name imports (fee Blghards) ; that title was given 

 to the women now mentioned. All the Beghards and Be- 

 guines that yet remain in Flanders and Holland, where their 

 convents have almoil tiiitirely ckanged their primitive form, 

 affirm unanimoudy, that both their name and inllitution de- 

 rive their origin from St. Uegghe, duchefs of Brabant, 



B E H 



and daughter of Pepin, mayor of the palace to the king of 

 Auilrafia, who lived in the fevcnth century. This lady, 

 therefore, they confider as their patronefs, and honour her 

 as a kind of tutelary divinity with the deepeft fcntimcnts ot 

 veneration and rcfpecl. Thofe, on the other hand, who are 

 no well v.ilhers to the caiife of the Beguines, deduce their 

 origin from Lambert de Bcgue, a priell and native of I-.iegr, 

 wlio lived in the twelfth century, and was much elleemcd on 

 account of his eminent piety. 



The firiv. fociety of this kind, of which record remains, 

 was formed at Nivellc in Brabant, in the year 1226; or, 

 according to other hiilorians, in 1207 ; and was followed by 

 fo many iiilHtutions of a like nature in France, Germany, 

 Holland, and Flanders, that, towards the middle of tlic 

 thirteenth century, there was fcarcely a city of any note that 

 had not its " beguinage," or vineyard, as it was fometimcs 

 called in conformity to the ftyleofthe "Song of Songs." All 

 thefe female focieties were not governed by the fame laws ; 

 but in the greatell part of them, the hours that were not de- 

 voted to prayer, meditation, or other religious exerciles, 

 were employed in weaving, embroidering, and other manual 

 labours of various kinds. The poor, lick, and difabled Be- 

 guines were fupported by the pious liberality of fuch opulent 

 perfons as were friends to the order. In the 14th century 

 thtfe focieties were more numerous in various parts ot Ger- 

 many ; but, adopting fome of the extravagant opinions of the 

 " Myilic Brethren and Silters of the Free Spirit," they 

 lliared with them in the perfecution which they fulTered. 

 The " Clementina," or conllitution of the council of Vienne, 

 A. D. 131 1, again 11 the Beguines, gave rife to a perfecution 

 of thefe perfons, which lalled till the rctormation by Luther, 

 and ruined the caufe of the Beguines and Beghards in many 

 places. From this Clementina, many took occafion to mo- 

 lell the Beguines in their houfes, to feize and deltroy their 

 goods, to oiler them many other infnlts, and to involve alfo 

 the Beghards in the like perfecution. In the year 1324, 

 however, they obtained fome relief by a fpeeial conllitution 

 of the Ivoman pontiff, John XXII. in which he explained 

 the Clementina, and ordered that the goods, chattels, ha- 

 bitations, and focieties of the innocent Beguines fliould be 

 prcfervtd from every kind of violence and infult ; and this 

 example of clemency and moderation was afterwards followed 

 by other popes. The Beguines, on the other hand, in hopes 

 of difappointing the malice of their enemies, and avoiding 

 their fiiares, embraced, in many places, the third rule of St. 

 Francis, and of the Auguftines. But this meafure was un- 

 availing ; for from this time they were oppreffed in feveral 

 provinces by the magillrates, the clergy, and the monks, who 

 call a greedy eye on their treafures, and were extremely 

 eager to divide the fpoil. MoHieim's Eccl. Hill. vol. iii. 



P- 23-' 377'. "^c- 



Cummunities of Beguines, or Beguinages, fllll fubfiil in 

 Holland, Flanders, and Germany. In Bruflels, there is a 

 lingular part of it, which is in fa£l a little town, inelofed 

 by a wall and ditch, and divided into ilrects. It is called 

 the Beguinage. The number of Beguines is near a thou- 

 fand, governed by matrons, and under the fpiritual direflion 

 of the bifliop of Antwerp. There are alfo Beguinages at 

 Amilerdam, Antwerp, and Malines. 



BEGZAM, in Cco'p\iphy,d. town of Africa, in the coun- 

 try of Agadez, iouth of Agad or Agades, the capital of the 

 country, and at a greater dillance fouthot Afouda, and will 

 of the defert of Jazr. N. lat. 19° 28'. E. long. 12'^ 50'. 



BEHAIRAT-EL-MARDJ, or LaL- of the McaJo-w, 

 a morafs of Syria, about 3 leagues from Damafcus to the 

 fouth-eall, into which flow the rivulets that fertilize the gar- 

 dens in the neighbourhood of the city. See Damascus. 



BEHAM, H.\NS, or John Stu.iLD, in Blo^rophy, an 



eminen 



